Lata wants Tendulkar to continue for another decade

She calls him the god of cricket and as Sachin Tendulkar completes 20 years of a glorious international career on Sunday, melody queen Lata Mangeshkar hopes the batting maestro plays for another 10 years before even considering retirement.

A self-confessed Tendulkar fan, Mangeshkar said she wants the veteran right-hander to win the 2011 World Cup for India.

"I want Sachin to win the 2011 World Cup. Not only that, I wish he continues as long as he is playing well, hopefully at least for the next 10 years. He has a lot of cricket left in him," Mangeshkar told 'PTI-Bhasha'.

Mangeshkar said she gets upset every time there is speculation about Tendulkar's retirement.

"I don't know why people start talking about his retirement despite the fact that he is playing so well. I don't like any criticism directed at Sachin. People go after him if he fails to score once in a while. Even I sometimes sing songs which don't do well, does that mean I should retire?" she asked.

"I think we should support him as much as we can so that he continues for his fans. There is no doubt that every batting record in cricket will be his," she said.

"He has made records that I don't think anybody would be able to break but he would continue to script new success stories as he goes along," she added.

Asked if she considered Tendulkar as the world's greatest batsman, Mangeshkar said, "Sir Donald Bradman has acknowledged Sachin's greatness, can I say more? Bradman saw glimpses of himself in Sachin, I don't think there is any better compliment for him than this."

"He was and remains a very good player. Bowlers are still scared of him. Nothing has changed," she said.

The veteran singer, who follows every series that Team India plays, said winning and losing are part of the game and we should not get too critical in case of a defeat.

"We like winning but we should be prepared for losses as well. Australia beat us recently, I didn't like it but this happens.

Tendulkar fondly calls Mangeshkar 'mother' and the legendary singer recalled the story behind the bond.

"Both Sachin and my father have their birthday on April 24. I once met Sachin a day before his birthday and journalists asked him what he would like to say about me.

"He replied 'how can I say anything about my mother'.

Since then, he addresses me as mother," she said.

Also a fan of Sunil Gavaskar, Mangeshkar said she got very upset when he retired from cricket in 1987 and even asked him why he took the decision.

"Critics had made life miserable for him at that time and I felt perhaps he retired because of that. I asked him a year after why he retired, he said 'My time is over but Sachin is there for you'.